publisher: sony
ps2
singing game
out now

Karaoke gaming has arrived on the PS2 with Singstar and with it has come a game that people who are ‘not into’ video games will enjoy just as much as the dedicated gamers.
Singstar is great fun. With songs from today’s pop heavyweights like Westlife and Sugababes it is obvious that Singstar is pitching its game heavily towards the ‘teeny-bopper’ demographic. But songs from golden oldies such as Elvis, Roy Orbison and Madonna have been added to the game’s mix which will make the Singstar experience a guilty pleasure for many grown men and women.
When you reach the main menu you are given several options. You can simply just sing to one of the 30 tunes, either by yourself or with a friend or family member in a duet. If you choose the ‘Star Maker’mode you begin the long, rocky road to possible stardom starting off in the relaxed, downtown clubs in the fictional Harmony City. In ‘freestyle’ mode you can simply belt out a tune in whatever butchering style you want without the distraction of the scoring meter. Then relive your soprano like performance in playback mode and take notes.
The final and most fun option is the ‘Party Game’- one where you and a group of friends can put your vocal chords to the limit all night over a few drinks and simply ‘pass the mic’ and see who should give up the dayjob and who should just stay put.
Like any other game you have three different levels: easy, medium and hard. On easy level all you have to do is to keep in tune with the lyrics and you are almost guaranteed to get a top five score. On hard level your voice must stretch out on those long ye - - ah’s and oo- - h’s if you want to be a real karaoke superstar.
Every song is accompanied by its original music video and for those songs from the pre-MTV days such as Elvis’ ‘Suspicious Minds’, a compilation of different moments of the superstar’s life is shown. As a bonus, if you already own the EyeToy camera you can use it with this game although some may think hearing their pathetic signing voice is bad enough without having to stare embarrassingly at yourself at the same time. Still if you have the EyeToy plugged in when a group of mates are around this should add a more chaotic atmosphere to the proceedings.
If Singstar has any faults it is probably its lack of variety. Those who own a copy may feel that, with a playlist of 30 songs, Singstar’s enjoyment level will wear thin after a while. Also granny who bought the game for her little granddaughter will be looking at the list of songs on the back of the box, scratching her head and wondering who the bloody hell Jamelia or Lemar is. Then again, maybe she should know these things. The game has a low 3+ rating which makes you wonder how Madonna’s sexually provocative Like A Virgin was included. I know in 2004 that Britney may be the scourge of protective parents but they would still feel a bit awkward about little Mary clinging on Madonna’s every words of wisdom. Also where are those wedding party classics that your not so sober uncle starts getting up on the stage and signing like ‘My Way’or ‘Everybody Loves Somebody’?
Perhaps the Star Maker mode could have given you the chance to try your hand at some new songs that you didn’t have the chance to try in regular mode. Its peculiar that the club bosses, when they send you phone messages, don’t seem concerned that you sing the same material on their premises week in, week out!!
All faults aside, Singstar is addictive and enjoyable fun and will suck in even those who would never get up on a stage in a million years, big or small. If you make a dog’s dinner of Elvis or Madonna, remember you are making a dog’s dinner in the comfort and relative isolation of your own home, so loose up because you are the star!

colin mcstay